*Police arresting protesters downtown

After a standoff of several hours, the cops are finally moving in on what seem to be a few dozen Occupy L.A. demonstrators who have been holding up in Bank of America Plaza. From LAT:

The protesters began taking over the plaza about 1 p.m. after a march from City Hall. They set up tents on a grassy area and locked arms, where they faced down police. But the property owner informed the LAPD that it was closing the park, which is private property, and requested that anybody who remained be arrested for trespassing.

Among the participants today were members of the SEIU United Services Workers West. Its president, Mike Garcia, issued a statement in support of the protest and calling on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to do the same. "Across the country, workers, unemployed people, parents, students, veterans and people of all ages are speaking out to say that Wall Street banks wrecked our economy and they are responsible for fixing it," he said. But the mayor's support could be waning - his office issued statement saying that the plaza is private property.

The Los Angeles city attorney's office said Thursday that representatives from Occupy L.A. have filed a court motion for a temporary restraining order to prevent police from dismantling their encampment around City Hall without providing notice. According to Chief Deputy City Atty. William Carter, the filings say protesters have the right to notice because the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution in support of the demonstration as they long as they remain "peaceful."